1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nucleic acid analyzing apparatus and, more particularly, to a nucleic acid analyzing apparatus such as a genetic tester/analyzer which observes fluorescence produced, for example, on a reaction device for single molecule DNA analysis and conducts analysis based on luminance of fluorescent bright spots.
2. Background Art
Regarding a typical nucleic acid analyzing method, Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a method which traps, molecule by molecule, a DNA test piece to be analyzed, on a DNA probe formed on a substrate surface, elongates bases one at a time, detects the bases using fluorometry, and thereby determines a base sequence.
Available analytical methods for reaction devices include a microarray analysis method which uses a semiconductor chip. The method has been used in the field of gene expression analysis. To detect a targeted gene polymorphism known as an SNP, the method hybridizes a target with a reaction spot to which a probe has been adsorbed in advance. Expression of the gene polymorphism can be optically detected if DNA to be linked is marked with fluorescent molecules.
The conventional microarray analysis method and the like shoot images of fluorescent bright spots produced in a specimen and perform gene analysis using resulting image information. Image shooting and image processing are indispensable to the present field and are important processes which govern reliability of specimen analysis results.
In particular, in the field or the like of multiple molecule fluorescent DNA detection by a microarray analysis method which uses a semiconductor chip, using a CCD or the like which is a two-dimensional imaging element as an optical detection element, reaction spots on a DNA chip can be associated easily with pixels in an output image by bringing the reaction spots on a DNA chip into one-to-one correspondence with CCD pixels or by using a reduction/binning function of a CCD camera. Consequently, in the field of conventional gene analysis apparatus, images and other data acquired by an imaging element can be used without preprocessing.
For example, Patent Document 4 proposes a method for performing fluorescent detection using a small number of pixels by placing image magnification of a focusing/image-forming optical system and a pixel pitch of a two-dimensional sensor in a predetermined relationship when reaction devices are arranged at equal intervals.    [Patent Document 1] JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2006-337245 A    [Patent Document 2] JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2007-10325 A    [Patent Document 3] JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-101376 A    [Patent Document 4] JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2007-322185 A    [Non-Patent Document 1] P.N.A.S. 2003, Vol. 100, pp. 3960-3964    [Non-Patent Document 2] Physical Review Letters 2006, 96, pp. 113002-113005    [Non-Patent Document 3] Anal. Chem. vol. 78, 6238-6245    [Non-Patent Document 4] Nanotechnology, 2007, vol. 18, pp. 044017-044021    [Non-Patent Document 5] J. Comput. Theor. Nanosci. 2007, vol. 4, pp. 686-691    [Non-Patent Document 6] Nanotechnology, 2006 vol. 17, pp. 475-482    [Non-Patent Document 7] P.N.A.S. 2006, Vol. 103, pp. 19635-19640